SUBANG JAYA: Proton has started producing face shields for medical frontliners as the company reinforces its commitment to help fight against the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Malaysia.

The first batch of 8,000 units has been shipped today to hospitals in Kelantan followed by other East coast states.

The local carmaker's employees are in a joint effort against the spread of the virus.

Proton's plant in Shah Alam has come back to some life after it shut operations, since March 18 in compliance with the movement control order (MCO), to produce the face shields.

The process began with designing and testing prototypes and getting feedback from end-users to ensure the final product is capable of meeting their needs.

Meanwhile, the project team planned for a production line that was both safe and efficient to meet with the Covid-19 health guidelines.

About 50 people, picked from a pool of volunteers, now work on an assembly line to measure and cut the various components required before assembly takes place, which can be up to 3,000 units per day.

The company is expected to take 20 days to produce the 60,000 units it has committed to deliver.

While Proton is responsible for the assembly and distribution of the face shields, it has also received numerous contributions from its vendors.

One such contributor is Pos Logistics Sdn Bhd - one of the largest logistics service providers in Malaysia which contributed over 2,000 large carton boxes that will be used to pack the face shields and subsequently for transportation.

Automotive component supplier, Hicom-Teck See Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd, contributed 1,500kg of polypropylene - one of the main components used to produce car bumpers, which will be used to produce the frame of the face shields.

The original design for the face shield was contributed by Universiti Teknologi Mara.

The Proton Design team then developed the frame based on feedback from end-users and also added the slogan "STAY STRONG! We will get through this!".

“Proton is humbled by the response received both internally and outside of the company to our face shield project. The number of staff volunteering their services was overwhelming, despite the inherent risks involved in leaving home and coming to work. Therefore, we have taken steps to ensure everybody is kept safe by providing PPEs and maintaining a minimum distance between each work station," said Proton deputy chief executive officer Datuk Radzaif Mohamed.

 

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